Yeah, pretty big gamble. I would check and see which software the preschool already owns or plans to own, then test it on an Ubuntu computer with Wine to determine what does and doesn't work. Most preschool level software, in my observation at least, should work by now on Wine. It's just the really graphically-intensive and DirectX-heavy stuff that gives a lot of issues.

Definitely keep:

GCompris (lots of games for small children)

GNUPaint or Tuxpaint (or both)

iTalc (similar to Faronics InSight)

All the other Tux-related programs (Tuxmath, Tuxtype, etc.)

Depending on how advanced and/or into specific subjects the kids are, you may also want to install kstars, ktouch, kturtle, ktuberling, and/or kwordquiz. They work fine with GNOME if you don't want to clog up resources with KDE (although I'm actually typing this email on a Kubuntu desktop with 480 MB RAM and a 2.4 GHz CPU; most educational computers that I've seen will perform much better than my modest rig).

Good luck with the machine. Hope all goes well, and again, sorry for the late response.

If possible, I suggest cutting out the excess stuff that comes with Edubuntu. There is a lot of software that I doubt would be suitable for a pre-school (such as Dia or kalgebra). Talk to the administrative staff of the pre-school to determine exactly which applications they would want.

Also, be aware that WINE isn't perfect. Some educational games will likely be incompatible. I've had issues trying to install Math Blaster on an Ubuntu computer for my little sister. Although, that was a year or so ago. Maybe it'll be better now.

My daughter's pre-school is asking me to build an educational machine for the kids. I was thinking of using edubuntu with WINE installed so they can add commercial educational games. Any suggestions or advice?